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Why You Need Business Insurance

The most successful business owners know they can't predict the future, but they can do their best to be prepared for it. One of the best ways to prepare your business for unforeseen challenges is to invest in business liability insurance. Both small business insurance and general business insurance can protect your establishment from incurring significant losses due to covered events. The cost of business insurance can vary, depending on the size of your company, the nature of your business, and the type of policy you hold, but a good business insurance policy will provide great coverage at an affordable price.

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Ask yourself what makes your business different (PredictableProfits.com) If you want your business to stand out, you need to ask yourself what truly makes you different from your competition. That means doing some competitive research from the perspective of your customers. What makes you different? Why should they buy from you instead? If you have a tough time answering any of these questions, you have some work to do…but it’s a start.

Develop an X-factor (Concur.com) After some good introspection on your business, it’s time to develop an “x-factor” that separates you from your competitors. And not just some minor detail that makes you (somewhat) unique, either. It needs to be something you do or have that nobody else does, it must add value to your business, and (ideally) be something that your competitors can’t do. Focus on your strengths and do something better than everyone else. That’s the secret to truly standing out.

Develop a unique value proposition (RecruitingBlogs.com) Standing out for the sake of standing out isn’t enough. Your customers need to feel like they’re getting value fromwhat makes you different from the rest of your industry. That means either making your products and/or services better, having better prices, or simply offering more bang for the buck. Here’s something you probably already know: people love freebies. Value is everything.

Make your marketing stand out (CreationStudio.ca) See the above three pieces of advice? Now apply that to your marketing. Make it different, do it better than your competitors, and add a value proposition (have sales, events, etc.) This is a chance to get really creative, so don’t waste it. Spare no expense.

Make your brand stand out (YoungGoGetter.com) Having a great logo is one thing, but your brand is so much more than a simple graphic. Your brand should act as a constant reminder to current and potential customers of why you are different and better than your competitors. Branding is perhaps the most integral piece of your marketing strategy and it should do more than just communicate what makes you unique… it should magnify it.

Make your business cards stand out (SmallBizDiamonds.com) There are so many unique and creative ways to do business cards. But once again, being different or creative just for the sake of being noticed isn’t good enough. Make your business cards an extension of your business: different from everyone else, but because you’ve added value. Otherwise you might as well have plain old paper business cards.

Make your blog stand out (SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com) If you’ve done the hard work of your way to make your business stand out, it’s time to make the most of it. Starting a blog and marketing your business online is a perfect opportunity to do just that. It’s relatively inexpensive and the viral potential (in the age of social media) is remarkably high. But even if your blog doesn’t go “viral” it’s still a great way to connect with your customers, remind them of what makes you better, and turn them into brand enthusiasts.

Don’t be mediocre (WebsitesGiveBack.com) Just because you do one thing really well, isn’t an excuse to keep the status quo on everything else. Step up your game on your entire offer and your customers will notice. The last thing you want is your customers saying, “yeah, they have great [product] but their [other purchasing factor] is so-so.”

Position yourself as an expert (MarketingForSuccess.com) You could have the best offer in the world but still find that customers just don’t come back if they can’t find you credible as an expert in your field. Know your industry inside and out and be more than willing to share that knowledge. This kind of credibility is what builds consumer trust and it’s that kind of trust that will get customers to refer others to your business.

Break the rules (StandOutSales.com) Want your business to be truly unique? Do the opposite of what everyone else does. Conventional wisdom is often wrong, so challenge and rewrite the rules of doing business in your industry. Just be sure you aren’t detracting from the value of your products and services, otherwise it will come off as “gimmicky”.

The failure of the replacement refs has gone viral. Not only does the NFL not seem to care, they may actually be benefiting from it…

After the botched call at the end of the game on Monday Night Football that gave the Seattle Seahawks a tainted victory over the visiting Green Bay Packers, both players and fans alike took to twitter and Facebook to voice their opinion. Opinions that hold no punches for the likes of Commissioner Goodell and company. And the shots just keep on coming…

But it isn’t a single call that’s completely to blame. It’s a storm that’s been building for some time, beginning with the referee lockout before the preseason had even started. The NFL’s differences with the referee union (NFL wants them to take a pay cut) has extended into the regular season compelling the NFL to put inexperienced replacements into the job until the differences are resolved.

After a relatively uneventful week 1, eventually the inexperience of these replacements started to show through in week 2. Games slowed down, clear fouls were missed, bad calls were made, rules were ignored or forgotten and there was this general feeling that the replacement refs were losing control of games. The integrity of the league came under fire and more than a few made direct assertions that player safety was being compromised.

Both players and coaches were losing their patience.. and it showed. The NFL later issued a statement warning that some of the conduct towards the refs would not be tolerated.

Then week three started…

As if right on cue, the debacle continued to escalate right along with the impact replacement refs were having on games. Seemingly simple football rules took even longer to sort out (that is, if they got it right at all), more calls were blown or missed, and when Darrius Heyward-Bey was knocked unconscious with a nasty head injury (on an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit that was not penalized) and later brought to the hospital, the injury concerns went from hypothetical to very real.

The following (rather freak) occurrence during the Bucs/Cowboys game sums up the ref’s week 3 performance in a single animated gif:

But instead of an epic match-up with all the pre-game hype a week 3 game can have, it was dominated by missed calls, wrong calls, dead-ball skirmishes, confusion over rules, and 24 penalties for 218 combined yards. To top it off, the final game-winning kick was so close, it almost demanded a second look. -Or at least an explanation, which is what Bill Belichick wanted when he grabbed an official who was running off the field as fast as he could.

As a big football and NFL fan, the game left a bad taste in my mouth. Neither team had a fair chance to prove they were the better of the two. The officials took it over, and ruined it. And as a fan of neither team I still felt cheated for having watched it.

Unfortunately, the worst had yet to come. Only, on Monday night, it was 24 penalties for 245 yards this time, and the worst call so far this year was saved for the final play, which decided the game.

Even last night’s TV announcers (including the in studio “rules specialist”) might have been surprised to learn that (according to the NFL’s statement about the play) simultaneous catch is reviewable if it occurs in the end-zone. That begs the question: which is worse? The not knowing the rules of replay, or knowing the rules and still getting the call wrong after multiple angles and looks?

On a personal note, even though I’m not a fan of either team, it really bothers me. It bothers me because I enjoy watching NFL games otherwise. It bothers me because it could happen to my team.

But most of all, it bothers me because, despite how bad the officiating has been, or how much criticism this one play causes the NFL, it probably won’t change a thing.

It will be interesting to see how the ratings play out for next week’s games, but the truth is, even this doesn’t really matter. While ratings are the key to NFL’s cash cow (TV contracts), if a temporary drop in ratings happens due to the inexperienced officiating, they can chalk it up as just that…temporary. Networks will still see the reach potential of the NFL when the contracts are renewed especially if a deal is reached by then.

“The demand for the NFL is inelastic. There’s nothing [the NFL] can do to hurt its demand, so they don’t care….people keep watching.”

In fact, the NFL might (actually) benefit from this…

Even if Steve Young is wrong, and NFL fans begin to tune out due the poor officiating, it’s likely they’ll be in the minority. I know a number of people that have already stated their intentions to do just that…just not when their own team is on. But I don’t buy it.

Not only will most current NFL fans not watch less, it’s reasonable to believe that they’ll in fact watch more. And others, who otherwise wouldn’t watch as much football, will be tuning in more often, too. Why? Because the American viewing public loves a good train wreck -especially on television.

Some Analysts are already calling the final play on Monday Night’s game “The most famous catch in the history of the NFL”. Even above some of the more noteworthy Superbowl catches, like “the catch” or even the “immaculate reception”. Though, I wouldn’t go that far just yet.

Perhaps it’s just human nature that people will be salivating for more drama. Though when it happens, NFL fans will be furious yet hard pressed to change the channel. It all plays right into the hands of the league, who seems insistent on getting what it wants despite what critics will say.